Friday, July 8, 2011

Bersih and the fall of reason - Art Harun

July 06, 2011

JULY 6 - "I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gatherstrength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis thebusiness of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, andwhose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principlesunto death." ~ Thomas Paine

The events unfolding before our eyes in the past few weeks say a lotabout us as a collection of individuals; as a society and as a people.What is clear, however, is the sad fact that when we are faced withadversity, we tend to lose our head and retreat into the same old darkand cold cave of emotions, of irrationality and of convenientrhetoric.

Above all, we abandon the very faculty that differentiate us from allother primates, namely, our ability to reason. That is the saddestreflection of us, as a nation.

With all due respect, the government could have handled Bersih'srequests and demands in better ways than imaginable. As a peopleliving in 2011, we expect better. We expect the government to respondand not react. And react rashly and even stupidly at that.

When the momentum of Bersih's call for a rally gained traction andweight, the usual suspects jumped into action. Apparently, DatukAmbiga Sreenevasan, the Bersih chairman, was an enemy of Islam.

The obligatory demonstration (which was granted a police permit in twodays after an application was made for one) coupled with theinevitable ultra-nationalistic speeches climaxing into the predictableburning of Ambiga's pictures took place.

It is ironic that Ibrahim Ali named his movement "Gerak Aman" ("PeaceMovement", in English) while at the same time making a not-so-veiled,but vile, threat that the "Chinese should really stock up food intheir house". He then appointed himself the "war general". And, so, aPeace Movement has a war general. Certainly a first for Malaysia.

The police force was not to be left behind. Its intelligent unitjumped into action and within minutes it found evidence that theCommunists had infiltrated Bersih and were planning the overthrow thegovernment through Bersih. A number of people from Parti SosialisMalaysia were promptly arrested and red T-shirts were seized.

Not enough with that, it was also found out that Bersih was beingfunded by some Christian groups. That seemed to gel with the earlierassertion that Ambiga was anti-Islam.

And so Bersih has managed to achieve what no other organisation in thewhole world had managed to even dream of: the unison of Christianitywith Communism in a post World War era. How's that for internationalnotoriety?

If we had thought that Malaysia and her authorities have gone ape, wewere in for a big surprise in later days.

The members of some silat organisation that announced that they would"wage war" against Bersih. 50,000 of its members were ready to killoff any challenge by Bersih or by the rally participants. As to whatthe challenge was, nobody gave any clue. Later, the silat organisationseemed to grow in numbers and this time it declared it was ready to"defend the country from Bersih's action".

Then the usual intellectual and some "persatuan peniaga runcit" or theother joined in the fray. The planned rally would create trafficcongestion and would cause traders to lose a lot of money. Why don'tthey do it in Putrajaya? Pity the taxi drivers.

Of course it was lost on them that the bounden duty of the police isthe ensure safety and order during the exercise by the people of theirConstitutional right. Why don't the police meet up with Bersih andhatch out a security plan rather than act to prevent the people fromdoing so?

There was, and still is, a complete lack of understanding as to therights of the people and the function of the State when such rightsare about to be exercised. Thinking that it is the year 2011 and thatMalaysia has gained independence for about 54 years, it is distressfulto note such complete belligerent attitude against the people by thegovernment.

Worse was to come, however.

Ambiga and the Bersih committee were hauled to the police station. Thefact that these people voluntarily went to the police station speakvolume of their non-confrontational approach towards the whole thing.They had not committed any crime. Nor were they planning any crime.But went to the police station they did.

The thing that struck me as the most uncouth move of all was thedragging of Pak Samad Said, our national laureate, to the policestation for a 90 minute "interview" over a poem he allegedly read at aBersih launch.

From then on, Bersih, to me, had travelled into a different dimension.It was not about electoral reform anymore. It had become a movementabout the people moving against some sort of tyranny.

Soon after came the outlawing of yellow T-shirts bearing the Bersihword. The IGP joined in to say that even shoes, umbrellas and busesdepicting the word Bersih are seditious and will be seized. The homeminister capped the whole insanity with the declaration that Bersih isillegal.

Arrest and more arrests took place. Malaysia was surely descendinginto the pits of absolutism.

The home minister never failed to baffle many. That trend continuedwhen he said that books on communism and communist leaders may begiven the green light for sale or publication on the condition thatthey do not promote Bersih.

And so Bersih has now become Malaysia's post-emergency (oh, sorry,what post-emergency, we are still under states of emergency!),post-war-confrontation-May 13 biggest bogey man. And to think thatBersih is headed by a recipient of the United State's women courageaward!

The most baffling statements in all these Bersih related rhetoric camefrom none other than the Honourable Prime Minister.

While addressing a crowd of about 20,000 people in Kelantan, the primeminister declared Ambiga as an enemy of Islam. The basis for thatdeclaration was that Ambiga had acted in the Lina Joy's case, a caseinvolving a Muslim woman who had converted to Christianity and wasfighting to get her religion changed on her identity card by thenational registration department.

Welcome to 1 Malaysia. In just one single sentence, Mr Prime Minister,I am afraid to say that the concept of 1 Malaysia, which is soenthusiastically promoted by your administration, will remain aconcept for quite a while.

In the first place, Ambiga wasn't even in Lina Joy's case! Even if shewas, that declaration is a display of a complete misunderstanding ornon-understanding of the role and functions of lawyers who appear fortheir clients in the Courts.

Using the prime minister's arguments, would we call all the Syariahlawyers who defend people who are accused for khalwat or not fastingin the Syariah Courts anti-Islam or even the enemies of Islam?

What do we call lawyers who defend people who are accused of rape inour Courts? Pro-rape? Lawyers who defend people accused of murder areanti-life? How about the Attorney-General who appears in Court toargue that certain people should be detained without trial? Do we callhim anti-liberty?

The Honourable Prime Minister gave a speech on moderation in OxfordUniversity on May 17, 2011. Among others, this was what he said:

"Our choice is clear. Come together in action for a future of justice,freedom, hope, compassion and goodwill for our children or it will bereplaced by a future of injustice, tyranny, hopelessness, cruelty andhate.

"We must address the underlying causes of global violence. Merelygoing after specific individuals, dismantling their organisations,disrupting their finances and discrediting their ideologies is farfrom enough. We must be able to differentiate between the symptoms andthe root causes. Only then, can we achieve a lasting solution."

Why didn't the government look at the root cause of the grievances inBersih's case? Why must the prime minister merely choose to go againsthis very own words by "going after specific individuals, dismantlingtheir organisations and discrediting their ideologies"?

Why has there been no attempt at all to differentiate between thesymptoms and the root causes?

And where is the "action for a future of justice, freedom, hope,compassion and goodwill for our children or it will be replaced by afuture of injustice, tyranny, hopelessness, cruelty and hate?"

His Royal Highness the King had granted an audience to Ambiga and HisMajesty had asked that Bersih do meet with the government to work outa compromise as of yesterday. That put paid to all the vile accusationand declaration of illegality by the government against Bersih.

The question is why haven't the government paid some respect to theKing's exhortation? Why hasn't the Bersih activist been released, someeven from detention without trial under the Emergency laws? Why arepeople wearing the Bersih yellow t-shirts still being arrested (todayalone, there are several arrests).

Why did the police surround a talk organised by the lawyers last nightin Kota Damansara to educate the public on their rights upon arrests?

Why did the police mount countless roadblocks today which causedtraffic congestions resulting in much difficulties to the public? Thepolice and government kept on saying that street rallies cause trafficcongestion and untold misery. What about the roadblocks?

The answer given is that the road blocks were aimed to preventunwanted elements in the capital city.

I just have one tiny question. If Bersih's aim is to overthrow thegovernment, then they must be quite sophisticated. After all they areaided by Christians who are working hand in hand with the communists.

Now, how do several policemen carrying guns, standing on the road,manning roadblocks and waving the traffic to move along help to traceall these sophisticated elements?

Frankly I think the police would do much and way better if all thosepolicemen were asked to capture the acid splasher who is still on theloose till this very moment. Or why don't they go and investigate somesex video?

The truth is the government has surely lost the proverbial plot overthe Bersih issue. This is, I am afraid to say, and I am saying thiswith the greatest of respect, a government which surely not at easeeven with itself, let alone the people it thinks it is governing!

The prime minister, in his aforesaid Oxford speech quoted NelsonMandela, who said:

"Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let therebe work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for eachbody, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves."

Yes. The mind and the soul. The government may seize all yellowT-shirts, outlaw Bersih, arrest the body of its supporters, but theirmind and soul remain free. The mind cannot be arrested.

To cap it up, the prime minister said:

"But while one man standing in the road is a nuisance, a meredistraction, 10 men standing together are far harder to ignore. And ifthose 10 become 100, a thousand, a million, a billion even, theybecome a force so big, so strong and so united in their common causethat those who espouse hatred will face a very simple choice."

I rest my case. -

art-harun.blogspot.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. TheMalaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

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About Me

Received my LLB (Hons) from the University of Nottingham in 2007.
Currently working as the Senior Manager at Greatpac Sdn Bhd.
A columnist for the Malaysia Chronicle, a member of the Democratic Action Party, a bioplastic consultant, Foodie, and Christian. All Praise, Honour and Glory be His!